InfoWorld's tests of the final Windows 7 version (the RTM, or "release to manufacturing") confirms a massive memory leak that occurs when the chkdsk.exe utility is run. Chkdsk.exe scans the PC's hard drives looking for errors in the files and file structures. The memory leak -- which can cause the PC to stop operating -- occurs when chkdsk.exe is run on secondary disks, as opposed to the disk Windows is installed on.

The bug was first reported this morning at several Web sites. Microsoft is due to ship Windows 7 on Oct. 22, and it finalized the Windows RTM in mid-July.

InfoWorld contributing editor Randall C. Kennedy describes his test results today in his Enterprise Desktop blog. Kennedy notes that the bug is more likely to affect IT administrators than everyday users, since admins are more likely to run Windows 7's diagnostic and repair functions. But he speculates that the bug may affect the core NTFS file system, either delaying the planned Windows 7 release date or causing IT to hold off on deployiong Windows 7 until Microsoft issues a patch or service pack.